In a move to attract more investments to the Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will convene the National Competitiveness Council to review the measures taken to enhance the country's global competitiveness.

The President set the meeting in view of the World Bank-International Finance Corporation (WB-IFC) study that said the Philippines ranked 140th of 181 countries in ease of doing business. Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila stressed, however, that the government has been implementing much-needed reforms to make the country more business-friendly, and noted that the WB-IFC survey covered the fiscal year July 2007 to June 2008 and that it principally focused on respondents in Manila. Favila said the IFC informed him that the reforms the government has put in place within this fiscal year had not been considered "because of the cut-off". The government has been working to simplify business regulations and practices, building a national business registry and harmonizing conflicting laws to facilitate business in the country. Favila also cited another survey with a much broader scope, the Institute of Management Development (IMD) where the country's ranking moved up five notches. Favila pointed out that the IFC focused on Manila only while the IMD survey covered the whole country. The Philippines ranked 40th in world competitiveness in the latter survey, scoring positively on economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure. Economic planners meanwhile are hoping that the drop in world oil prices will continue until the end of the year, or at least remain below $100 per barrel from a high of more than $147 in July. Favila cautions that the situation in the global oil market remains unpredictable and requires careful and sustained monitoring. The DTI is also monitoring prices of goods in the markets, particularly as the demand for specific items increase during the Christmas season, and has launched a discounted goods program in partnership with manufacturing firms. To ensure food security amidst the high prices of oil and commodities, the President has implemented various subsidies and intensified her agricultural initiatives to increase the country's food sufficiency level. In education, the Philippine delegation to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) E-Learning Training Program held recently in South Korea emerged with the Best Team Project, presenting a web-based information system that uses real-time data for projects managed by the Department of Education's central office. The system will address the information needs of the Department for measuring internal efficiency and effectiveness, planning and programming, performance-based budgeting and sector performance reporting. In regard to the Mindanao peace process, the President reiterated her administration's commitment "to doing everything possible to bring lasting peace to Mindanao and end 40 years of fighting that has killed more than 120,000 people." She said that much progress had been made on all fronts "until violent elements within the MILF decided to take the law into their own hands." The President justified her refocus of all peace talks to the communities, saying, "We will not negotiate with a gun pointed at our head. Innocent civilians should not be terrorized for crass political gain." Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Hilario G. Davide, Jr. took pride in the Philippines' anti-terrorism efforts at the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy sessions, citing the formulation of a comprehensive political, social and economic package for peace and security, as well as a comprehensive legal package that brings terrorists to justice, plugs the loopholes in the legal system and ensures the protection of human rights. Davide urged the UN General Assembly to "decisively facilitate international cooperation and coordination to address this global threat."